“We want to see heaven break into our lives, our city, and our world.” – Pastor Philip Zimmermann, KiA This is much more than just our vision statement here in Mainz, Germany in our new church, KiA Mainz. It is what we live and breathe every day. KiA (A German acronym for “Kirche in Aktion,” or “Church in Action) started this summer, in June of 2008 with the kick-off, Project:Camp where over 100 participants from the US and Germany came to lend their time and support in welcoming Mainz into our new church family. We are here to see how lives can be changed, to give hope, and to love completely. So from the time we hit the ground with KiA, we set out to do exactly this through ministries of various sorts, including KiA Events, KiA Home Groups, and KiA Impact Ministries.
We have the conviction that the heart of our church should exist through discipleship and fellowship, so from our first week on we launched home groups where people can come, eat, talk with friends, and go deeper in their walk with God. We want to strive in these evenings to create authentic community, and a place where people can feel at home. People are free to ask questions and search, while being embraced and loved exactly where they are in their journey with God. It has been truly amazing to see the people that have come together in these groups, the friendships that have formed, and the stories that come out of these evenings of growth. We want to see how heaven breaks into our lives.
In addition to home groups, we have started several KiA Impact Ministries, intentional efforts by groups of people reaching out to bless the city of Mainz. Over the few months that KiA has been active in our community in Mainz, we have established seven impact groups, all with the primary goal of wrapping our arms around people. We have an environmental group that goes around to pick up trash in parks, a baking group that bakes sweets and treats to take to places like the fire department, hospitals, and to the workers at the trash dump. We have an administration group that helps in the church office once a week, a group that goes to sit and talk with the elderly in the nursing home, the homeless impact ministry that serves a breakfast downtown, a building group that goes to do handy-man work and renovations on peoples’ homes, and most recently a children’s impact group that is currently going into schools to do homework help.
It has been so interesting to see how people respond to us when we show up at the trash dump to give them brownies with no strings attached. Eyebrows really shoot up when a stranger walks up with a plate of sweets to a trash worker and says, “You’re working really hard all day out here. We just wanted to bring you something other than trash. Hope you have a great day!”
These impact groups are ministry opportunities in multiple ways. We have found through our experiences in the impact groups that there are many young people in this area who are eager to serve. They hear what we’re doing through friends and other various connections and get excited about an opportunity to get involved themselves. It’s through talking to the Christians in the groups when they’re out there picking up trash, or helping kids with homework, or sitting with an elderly lady while she eats her lunch that they get a glimpse of what church really is. Curiosity about this Jesus deepens as they serve the city of Mainz, and that’s what it’s all about. We want to see how heaven breaks into our city.
Every other week, our church gathers together as a whole group for our regular church services, known to us as “KiA Events.” During these evenings we offer a meal and time of fellowship together before singing and hearing a message. The people that we have come to know and embrace as our “regular people” do not come from any single walk of life, but rather all are represented: homeless, college students, educated professionals . . . what we are privileged to be a part of is church in its rawest form, and we would not trade it for anything.
It’s during these evenings and in the time we spend with these people throughout the week in home groups and impact groups that we are loving them, and in doing so, we are teaching them to love others in the same way. One of the ways we have begun to teach them to love is to take offerings for world causes. In the past we have collected offerings for purchasing oxen and plows for Third World Countries through World Vision and raised money for a child’s education in Bangladesh and for hot meals to feed the homeless. We have plans to take offerings in the future to go towards fighting child prostitution and the sex-slave trade. We believe so strongly that this is not how God imagined life for His children. He has given us the resources and responsibility to do something about it, and we want to see how He can change the lives of those living in hell here on earth. We want to see how heaven breaks into our world.
From the team With Kathleen Gröschner,German Intern.
God has been so gracious to us. The ride hasn’t always been an easy one, but He’s been faithful the whole way. We take none of the credit but instead point to Him every day and recognize that we can truly do nothing without Him. He has given us the awesome privilege to fight together to bring heaven into our lives, our city, and our world. Our great reward here and now is to take a joy from the knowledge that what we are trying to accomplish here brings a smile to God’s face. The outpouring of support from ministry partners all over the world has been overwhelming and something we are grateful for every day. We have been given the freedom through this support to live the dream that God gave to each of us.
The church is planted! We are continuing the move forward. One thing is for certain: God is up to great things here in Mainz.
I would like to share a little about two groups that are very close to my heart. One of them is the KiA Impact Kids group which involves going to an elementary school after school to help the children with their homework. In this particular school 80% of the children are immigrants. I go to the first grade twice a week, and every time it is a truly fascinating experience for me. The time I get to spend with the kids is work and fun at the same time. Only a short while ago, 7-year-old Marcel approached me, casually leaned against a table and asked in a very cool manner what cars I am interested in. I tried very hard not to laugh out loud when he explained to me, trying so hard to sound male and grown up, which cars he prefers and that he would like to drive a Porsche and a Ferrari.
Our children are truly refreshing but there have also been times when we were shocked. Little Alex told us for example, that his mommy and daddy don’t live together anymore and now hate each other again. Another boy has a mom who is in the final stage of Leukemia.
These children, who are six to eight years old, don’t experience only sunshine, and it breaks my heart to see the parts of their lives and families which aren’t going the way we all would like to see it happen. The great thing is though, we have the opportunity to give them as much love as only we can and through that, we can bring some heaven into their lives.
Another KiA Impact group takes place in the “Teestube”. The “Teestube” offers the homeless warm meals, hot showers, and a place to warm up on cold winter days. I have been going there for the past four months, and now, have a team of four people who are committed to help on a regular basis. Since December 2008, we have been going there every other Saturday and have prepared a warm meal. We try to bring a little bit of heaven into their lives through our community and our service. It is our goal that they can find time to simply be and feel welcomed and loved no matter where they come from or where they are going.
It is also very good to see the way that God works within the people who come to the “Teestube” to serve. One of the helpers is also in my Home group and it is fascinating to see how God is transforming her, making her open, and making her sensitive for the people around her and for serving.
God is working in so many ways. Sometimes I just stand in wonder, and I feel like I am in the very middl of God’s work. I see and experience how God does miracles, transforms people, and brings heaven into their lives. Then I see how we, who have experienced heaven in our lives, turn around and pass it on to others. What could be more beautiful?
Join us i n prayer...
for our eight KiA Impact Groups, that we may be a blessing for this city
for the financial burden that comes with a church plant
for our home groups and the leaders, that these groups may be places for real transformation
for the people of our town, that God would open their hearts for his love
for skilled volunteers to help produce the training resources the the church plant needs
for the planning and preperation of the majorservice projects we will coordinate this year
for teams that are already planning and preparing to come and for new teams to sign-up to come
for German interns who will volunteer for 2 weeks to a year with our ministry
Video Production Help Needed
Project Noah is looking for volunteers trained in video (pre to post production, Mac platform, Final Cut Studio Pro). If you are interested or would like more information or would like to contribute to this ministry financially, please go to kiamainz
